Most of us know that berries transform pancakes and smoothies from blah to bam!

Now Harvard researchers reveal that blueberries and strawberries may also reduce age-related memory loss and cognitive decline in older women. The study was published Thursday, April 26, in the Annals of Neurology.

What’s the magic ingredient? Flavonoids - compounds found in plants that are rich in cell-protective antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Stress and inflammation are two major ingredients that contribute to a decline in brain function. Flavonoids delay that effect up to 2.5 years, the study authors found.

“Among women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week we saw a modest reduction in memory decline,” said study author Elizabeth Devore, Sc.D., a researcher in the Channing Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. One serving is half a cup.

Flavonoids also are found in cherries, elderberries, raspberries and Concord grapes, Devore said.

The researchers used data from the U.S. Nurses’ Health Study, a group of 121,700 women nurses between the ages of 30 and 55 who completed health questionnaires beginning in 1976.

Since 1980, the nurses were surveyed every four years about their food consumption. The cognitive function of 16,000 nurses, ages 70 and older, was checked every two years between 1995 and 2001. Their mean age was 74.

The women who ate the most blueberries (more than one serving a week) and strawberries (more than twice a week) apparently saw the greatest delay in cognitive aging, compared to those who ate less of the fruit.

The researchers controlled for other health factors, but cautioned that the better cognitive function of those who ate the most berries may also have been influenced by healthier lifestyle choices, such as exercising more.

One more thing about berries: They’re also rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. And berries that are frozen right after picking maintain their nutrients and are just as good for you as fresh ones.

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